30 July, 2010

AP Samachar - 30 July 2010

Pakistan must check all terror groups, says David Cameron
Sandeep Dikshit
Manmohan hopes Islamabad will honour commitments
NEW DELHI: Underlining the need to remain engaged with Pakistan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his British counterpart, David Cameron, on Thursday called on Islamabad to be indiscriminate in cracking down on terror groups operating from its soil.
“We believe that Pakistan should be as serious in paying attention to terror on its western borders as on the eastern borders. I sincerely hope the world community would use its good offices to promote this,” Dr. Singh said at a joint press conference with Mr. Cameron here. “It is not acceptable, as I have said, for there to be within Pakistan existence of terror groups that cause terrorism within Pakistan, outside Pakistan, in Afghanistan, India and elsewhere in the world,” added Mr. Cameron. At the same time, Pakistan should be encouraged to take steps to see that terror was reduced. “We want to work with Pakistan to make it fight the LeT [Lashkar-e-Taiba] and Afghan or Pakistan Taliban. The Pakistan government has taken steps and it needs to take further steps to reduce terrorism in Afghanistan, India and the streets of London. I think the right thing is to have discussion with Pakistan frankly, clearly and openly. Next week, I will have discussions with the President of Pakistan,'' he said.
Making the same point, Dr. Singh hoped that Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi would accept the invitation to visit India later this year so that “sooner or later” the dialogue was restored to the “proper sense of purpose.”
In his first observations on the July 15 talks in Islamabad between the Indian and Pakistani Foreign Ministers, Dr. Singh said the discussions covered a lot of ground but the outcome appeared to be rancorous due to Mr. Qureshi's comments at a press conference that followed. Regretting the “way in which the press conference was handled,” he, nevertheless, felt that the discussions managed to “reach agreements on a large number of issues having a bearing on bilateral ties.”
“The way the press conference was handled by the Pakistani Foreign Minister distracted from the larger elements of the agreements reached between the Foreign Ministers of both countries,” he observed while declining to judge the outcome of the talks because “we are too close to events to pass a firm judgment on the outcome of the recent discussions.”
Replying to another question, Dr. Singh expressed the hope that Pakistan would honour the commitments given to him and his predecessors on many occasions that terror from its territory would not be directed against India.
Asked what the international community would do to see that Pakistan did not export terror, Mr. Cameron concurred with Dr. Singh's observations and added that Pakistan must crack down on or eliminate all terror groups, including the LeT.

The Pioneer
Deccan Chronicle
The Hindu
    0 comments

    29 July, 2010

    AP Samachar - 29 July 2010

    Pandering to Islamists

    The Pioneer Edit Desk
     
    Congress plays communal card in Kerala

    One can understand the Congress’s desperation to win over Muslim votes in the run-up to next year’s Assembly election in Kerala, but it is shocking that the party should stoop to the level of openly backing the radical Islamist outfit — Popular Front of India. The PFI is credited with the shocking misdeed of chopping the right hand of a professor who allegedly defamed Mohammed while setting a question paper. According to the police, it is also said to be involved in a number of other dubious activities aimed at creating communal discord in the State. Yet the Congress has found merit in condemning Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan for saying, and rightly so, that the PFI is trying to “Islamise Kerala”. This remark, in the Congress’s twisted wisdom, amounts to ‘insulting’ Muslims, an interpretation that by no stretch of the imagination is credible. The PFI is not a role model for the community, and there is nothing to suggest that its conduct has the backing of Muslims at large. By lashing out at the State Government for its tough stance, the Congress is only strengthening the hands of subversive elements who seek inspiration from the Taliban. As an experienced politician, Mr Achuthanandan knows what he is talking about. That he has had to use such strong words only shows the threat posed by the PFI to Kerala and to the nation.

    Thankfully, the Chief Minister, who is otherwise waging a battle against detractors in the CPI(M), has found support among his adversaries like Mr Pinarayi Vijayan. The State party secretary has backed Mr Achuthanandan’s remarks and said they do not amount to criticising the the Muslim community. Even CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat, who does not share a very cordial relationship with Mr Achuthanandan, has reiterated that the PFI and its associates are taking Kerala towards Islamisation. Similarly, LDF members like the Forward Bloc have also been forthright in their condemnation of the PFI. The Congress, thus, stands not only isolated but also exposed: It is shameful that it should forge a communal agenda in the belief that this will help it secure the support of the Muslim community. This is insulting Muslims, not least because most of them are aghast over the frightening attempt to emulate the Taliban.

    Interestingly, the Congress attack on the CPI(M) has only served to bridge the divide within the State Government and the CPI(M). The patch-up may not necessarily hold until the election, but if the Congress persists, chances are the various Marxist factions will unite. Whether that will eventually help the Left to retain power is anybody’s guess, but at least it will serve the purpose of putting down Islamists in Kerala. That is the most immediate task and should be undertaken without any delay.

    The Hindu
    The Pioneer
    1 comments

    27 July, 2010

    AP Samachar - 27 July 2010

    Congress candidate's election declared void by High Court

    Special Correspondent 
    Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Monday declared void the election of Congress candidate Kodikkunnil Suresh from the Maveklikara Lok Sabha constituency.
    Justice M. Sasidharan Nambiar declared the election void while allowing election petitions filed by defeated Communist Party of India candidate R.S. Anil and two other electors from the constituency. Mr. Suresh won the reserved seat by defeating his nearest rival by a margin of 48,048 votes. The court set aside the election as it found that Mr. Suresh did not belong to the Scheduled Castes.
    The court found that while the certificate issued by the Nedumangad tahsildar had mentioned his caste as Cheramar, the Kottarakara tahsildar's certificate said that he was a member of the Pulaya caste. The court observed that the Returning Officer should not have accepted the nomination of Mr. Suresh in the light of the contradictory caste certificates.
    The court found that he had not been accepted into both these Scheduled Castes.
    Besides, if he belonged to the Cheramar caste, he could not at the same time be a member of the Pulaya caste. It also observed that evidence suggested that his marriage was conducted not in accordance with the customs of the Cheramars or the Pulayas. He had not been following the customs of these castes. It found that his parents were normal converted Christians. The evidence established that he was Christian until 1978 when he was reconverted to the Hindu religion through a ‘Sudhhi' ceremony.
    The court found force in the arguments of the petitioner that he was re-converted to the Hindu religion when he was a minor. Therefore, his conversion was not legally valid. The court said there was force in the submission that his name was changed to Suresh after the reconversion. When a person converted to the Hindu religion, he or she could not normally become a member of the Scheduled Castes.


    The Hindu

    The Pioneer
    Deccan Chronicle
    0 comments

    17 July, 2010

    AP Samachar - 17 July 2010

    0 comments

    15 July, 2010

    AP Samachar - 15 July 2010

    Sarkaryawah Shri Suresh (Bhaiya Ji) Joshi Ji's Statement


    We have seen news reports of arrest of some suspected persons by ATS in relation to bomb blasts that took place in our country sometime earlier. RSS strongly condemns attempts to spread rumours through some newspaper reports that it was linked to the blasts RSS always has faith in the Constitution. 

    Sangh will neither empathise with nor patronise illegal and violent activities Having faith in the impartiality of the investigations (into the Ajmer blast), Sangh office-bearers of the concerned region have announced that the accused person has been relieved of all responsibilities with immediate effect, 

    Let proper investigation take place on the suspected persons and appropriate legal action be definitely take place at the same time let innocent persons not be harassed.

     

    0 comments

    14 July, 2010

    AP Samachar - 14 July 2010


    Communal violence bill: activists, government at loggerheads 
     
    Smita Gupta New Delhi: From the framing of its first draft in 2005 to the heated debates that have followed it, the Communal Violence (Prevention, Control and Rehabilitation of Victims) Bill has been mired in controversy. The government feels that civil society organisations want to take over its powers; civil society organisations believe the government is simply not prepared to go far enough.
    Now, after five years of back and forth, the National Advisory Council (NAC) is meeting here on Wednesday to, among other things, try and reshape the voluminous draft law into an effective instrument against communal violence. In this task, the NAC is up against both a hostile bureaucracy — as its first meeting with officials proved — as well as the sometimes impossible demands from civil society organisations, from which it derives its legitimacy.
    At the heart of the battle is a fundamental question: Can an independent body assume, temporarily, the powers of the government? The government's draft bill, for instance, suggests a Union Home Minister–headed 11-member National Council to oversee relief and the rehabilitation of victims. This has been rejected by civil society activists, which has, instead, proposed a Communal Harmony Justice and Reparation Commission (CHJRC), with national, State and district councils, and a mandate that goes beyond responsibility for relief, compensation and rehabilitation to include the “power to recommend the notification of the application of the Communal Violence Law.”
    The government is not amused. “The State is responsible for maintenance of law and order. If the State fails in its task, it has to be made accountable — those powers can't be handed over to civil society members, unless you want to change the Constitution,” senior government sources told TheHindu. The problem, these sources stressed, stemmed from the fact that some civil society activists are “looking at the issue only through the prism of Gujarat,” rather than focussing on creating a bill for all time. “In 2002, the Gujarat government was at fault. But in 1984, the Centre was at fault, while the State government behaved admirably.”
    Asked to respond to this view, the NAC's Harsh Mander — who is among those entrusted with holding consultations to come up with a new Bill — agreed that this demand could not be conceded: “I agree, an independent body can't have overriding powers; it can only bring pressure, not interfere with the authority of the executive.”
    Having conceded that point, the NAC does have fundamental differences with the architecture of the official bill, with its objections starting with the preamble, which reads: “To empower the State Governments and the Central Government …” This would suggest, says Mr. Mander, that “Narendra Modi — since Gujarat was the context for this Bill — did not have sufficient powers to deal with the violence. That's not true. From my experience as a district magistrate, I can tell you that no riot can last more than a few hours without political support from somewhere. A DM has the authority to call in the Army which, in some senses, makes him more powerful than even the Prime Minister.”
    Command responsibility
    This leads to the NAC's next submission — that the district administration's acts of omission, possibly because of political pressure, rather than acts of commission, lead to prolonged violence. “Indian law, unlike international law, post-Bosnia, doesn't recognise acts of omission,” says Mr. Mander. That's why the NAC and other civil society activists are talking about “command responsibility,” that those in charge of law and order must be held accountable — and punished, if they fail. Many civil society members feel that the responsibility must be accepted all the way up, but government sources feel this is untenable: “Where will the chain of command end? With the Chief Minister, with the PM?” asks an official. The NAC recognises the problem and sources said that the emerging view is that the district magistrate and the chief secretary, the two locuses of command, must be held accountable. Whether the third locus, the political leadership, should also be punished “needed to be debated,” as the official powers of “command” are with the bureaucracy, even though the reality may be that the bureaucracy takes its cue from the political leadership.
    The draft bill's suggestion to declare certain areas “communally disturbed areas” has also come in for criticism, with civil society activists saying this will give the government the opportunity to use the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). The government's argument is that this provision has nothing to do with the Disturbed Areas Act, which allows the use of the AFSPA. The NAC's view is that since the phrase “disturbed areas” has an unpleasant connotation, it could be substituted with “protected areas.”
    Intriguingly, there is one provision in the draft bill for which the NAC blames the Union Home Ministry, while other sections of the government hold civil society organisations responsible for its inclusion — the “special powers given to the Central government to deal with communal violence in certain cases,” something that will be hotly contested by the State governments. NAC sources say this has been deliberately included so that the bill is never passed; government sources say “civil society organisations are confused — they don't know whether state governments should have less or more powers.” Clearly, the Communal Violence Bill is a hot potato — and it will be a while before it becomes a law.

    The Hindu
    Deccan Chronicle
    0 comments

    13 July, 2010

    AP Samachar - 13 July 2010



    Priyadarsi Dutta

    Today is the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath and his siblings Balabhadra and Subhadra. The sea of humanity that congregates in Puri, Serampore, Ahmedabad and Varanasi makes this event a moving spectacle. Thanks to Iskcon, Rath Yatras are also conducted in more than 100 magnificent cities all over the world, including London, Dublin, Belfast, New York, Singapore, Venice and Toronto. In the North-East, Manipur marks its annual chariot fest (Kang Chingba) of Lord Jagannath.

    Originally, a mode of transportation and a mounted vehicle of war in ancient India, the rath has come to enjoy a mystical significance in the Indian psyche. Krishna transformed this vehicle of war into a platform for preaching what is now known as the Gita. “See the self as the lord of the chariot,” Yama (the omniscient god of death) advises Nachiketa in Kathopanishad, “the body as the chariot, the intellect as the charioteer and the mind as the reins”.

    The Rath Yatra may thus be a festive way of celebrating spiritual self-discovery. Like all Hindu festivals its ritualistic aspect is deeply symbolic. Like Kumbh Mela or Durga Puja, it breaks down the barriers of caste. “The ideal society is the vehicle of the indwelling godhead of a human aggregate, the chariot for the journey of Jagannath. Unity, freedom, knowledge and power constitute the four wheels of this chariot,” wrote Sri Aurobindo in Chariot of Jagannath (1918), a rare Bengali essay.

    Though best associated with Lord Jagannath, the Rath Yatra is not limited to him. Celebrated annually in Hampi is the Virupaksha Rath Yatra — dedicated to Lord Shiva and Parvati. In Nallur, near Jaffna (Sri Lanka), the Ther festival is celebrated with fanfare every August. Murugan (Lord Kartikeyan), the presiding deity of Nallur Kandaiswamy Temple, is taken out on a chariot.

    The sacred chariot is a part of south Indian architecture. Near the famous musical hall of Hampi (ancient Vijayanagara) is the famous stone chariot (whose wheels actually revolve around the axis) dedicated to Vithala. The rock-cut chariots of Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu) of the Pallava era (5th century AD) are dedicated to the Pandava brothers.
     

    The Pioneer
    Deccan Chronicle 
    The Hindu
     The New Indian Express
    0 comments

    08 July, 2010

    AP Samachar - 8 July 2010

    The Pioneer
    Deccan Chronicle
    0 comments

    07 July, 2010

    AP Samachar - 7 July 2010

    The Pioneer
    Deccan Chronicle
    The Hindu
    0 comments
    Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)